Old Man
by astropixie
Summary: Ignoring the things that upset him was the only way to keep himself sane and functioning. He wasn’t sure he could ignore Jack any more. [Spoilers for Utopia on]


A/N: This contains spoilers for Utopia and Sound of the Drums. It's an assumed scene in which the Doctor gets better, defeats the Master for now, and the three happily go back to the TARDIS for another adventure. Well, not that happily.

Enjoy!

* * *

His poor TARDIS was still a mess. The Doctor held his screwdriver in his teeth while he attempted to tackle new parts that the Master had stuck on, like malignant growth. He adjusted his glasses, looking up and down at the daunting task.

"Do you need help with anything?"

The Doctor turned to look behind him at his companion, Martha. She stood somewhat awkwardly, her hands behind her back while she waited for his answer.

"Mmm mm mmm," the Doctor replied through his screwdriver.

"What?" Martha said.

The Doctor spit the screwdriver into a waiting hand and repeated, "Not right now."

Martha bit her lip and nodded. "Okay. Right, then. Well, you know where to find me."

The screwdriver returned to his mouth as he went back to his work. Things were a bit different between them now. He knew she fancied him, he was far from an idiot. He had tried to show her for some time that he wasn't interested, through lines now and again that he knew were overly harsh. She never got it, though. He would have expected more from a medical student.

He wondered if he had ever told her his real age. She knew he was an alien, but had he ever told her how old he really was? He wondered. She at least had some idea, but she obviously hadn't given it much thought.

It seemed her crush might finally be over, he mused as he coaxed a wire free with minimal injury to himself. Recently she had seen him for what he was: a tired old man. He knew that's what he looked like on the inside, and that was why he stayed away from Rose…

Rose knew, though. Rose had seen more times than Martha just how old and cruel he was. He knew for sure he had told her his true age, and she hadn't cared, which he felt was naïve of her at the time. Now, he didn't know what to think of her. He couldn't dwell for too long.

The Doctor remembered holding Martha's gaze as she crept up to him, saying "I've got you," in a comforting tone. He saw pity and disbelief there. He saw a burning hatred for the Master and what she had done to him and her family. But on top of that, he saw revulsion. At last, the message was clear to her.

Jack, however…

The Doctor dropped his screwdriver and failed to catch it after some animated yelping and grasping. To his dismay, it had fallen neatly through the floor and was now lodged between some machinery below the console area.

"How you doin', Doctor?"

"I'm absolutely fantastic, and you?" the Doctor called to Jack has he opened the floor panel.

The Doctor listened for a response from behind him, but none came. "Jack?"

"You haven't said 'fantastic' for a while," Jack said.

The seriousness of Jack's tone made him straighten and turn to face him. The immortal man was still dressed in 1940s-style clothing, his arms crossed before him as he looked at the Doctor.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, pausing. "Am I supposed to?"

Jack smiled, shaking his head. "Nah, it's just nice to hear you say it."

"I was being sarcastic, you know," the Doctor said.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know. Still nice."

The Doctor swallowed. He was starting to feel awkward. "What do you want, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "Just wanted to see if you needed help."

The Doctor hesitated. He did kind of need some help ripping the spare parts off. Jack was good with technical jiggery-pokery.

Oh, how he missed Rose…

Stop it, he told himself. Focus on here and now. Fix the TARDIS. Travel on.

Ignoring the things that upset him was the only way to keep himself sane and functioning. He wasn't sure he could ignore Jack any more.

The moment Martha had transported herself away, Jack was still there. On the floor, close to where the defeated Doctor sat, was Jack. The fixed point in time, the fact, the abomination to everything the Doctor knew. His ironic link to Rose.

Jack always looked at him with the same gaze. Cool and blue, intense and full of respect. There was no revulsion there when the Master had taken years from his appearance. Just support. And the same blue eyes as ever.

Jack was the only person besides Rose who knew him for everything he was…and loved him.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor blinked. Jack was still standing there, waiting for an answer to some forgotten question. He had ignored Jack for too long.

The Doctor crossed the space between them in two strides and threw his arms around the other man.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Slightly startled, Jack hugged him back, his embrace strong and firm. "It's okay." When the Doctor didn't respond, Jack pulled away enough to see his face. He was surprised to see tears.

"It's okay," Jack repeated, holding him close again and now fighting tears of his own. "It's okay."


End file.
